Thursday, September 30, 2010

Grupo Tarasco, the dance company of the Cook Arts Center, performed on Thursday, September 30th at Rosa Parks Circle to a packed crowd attending the unveiling of a new sculpture. The six-foot statue will find a new home at Rosa Parks Circle after committee members spent years working and raised over $370,000 to make it happen. We were pleased to have our dance troup be a part of the celebration and recognition of Rosa Parks' life.

Monday, September 27, 2010

On Friday, September 24, the Grand Valley State University's LatinAmericanStudies program hosted El Loteria at the Cook ArtsCenter. The program startedat 5pm and ran until 7pm with over30 people in attendance. Before the playing began, one ofGVSU's professors acted as El Griton whose job it is to call outthe name of the cards. In addition, El Griton also talked aboutthe history of El Loteria in Mexico. Several winners emergedthroughout the night and theywere rewarded with prices. Inaddition, GVSU provided Mexican food for everyoneto enjoy.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

On September 9, the Career Day speaker at the Cook Library Center wasAmy Brower who is Associate Director of Grandville Avenue Arts &Humanities (GAAH). She shared her educational experiences whichprepared her for her job with GAAH. The students also playedPictionary using terms that are skills or requirements in Amy's job.The students were great listeners and had a great time! Also happening that week, a group of Aquinas art students had a ballwith our students by making play dough. You can see the fun that washad by all in the photos above!

Fall Classes are in full swing at the Cook Arts Center. We are offering 29 classes in our fall class session which runs from September 20 to December 16, 2010. Class options include everything from Kids Drawing to Theatre Games to a Spanish Community Choir which focuses primarily on choral music in Spanish. Currently, we have over 275 students registered for the fall class session. For more information or to register for programs, contact the Cook Arts Center at 742-0692.

Friday, September 3, 2010

On Thursday, September 2, we were lucky enough to have several studentsfrom CalvinCollege volunteer at the Cook Library Center as part of StreetFest 2010. The librarystudents enjoyed helping the Calvin studentsorganize the library, including shelvingbooks and cleaning windows, andwhen they were done, everyone enjoyed some ice cream for a treat. Theneveryone played board games, some soccer, and some of the Calvin students were brave enough to face off with our students in chess.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Our teen girls group has been meeting this month on Wednesday afternoons. On Wednesday, September 1 they completed a special art project by painting square tiles with messages of peace, love, friendship and compassion. The group has been meeting weekly to engage in fun and creative activities together and has also been planning volunteer opportunities they can do as a group within the community.